Page 61 of Another Love, Another Time
“Love you too.” Uncle Eddie exits the bedroom, and I head back there. I’m running through all the things I need to unpack.
When I see the bed, I quickly change my mind. I close the door, place my bag on the floor next to the bed, turn off the light, and flop down on the mattress. I pull out my phone and text the two people I still talk to.
River: Hey Bax, just made it to my bed. Getting some shuteye. Turning my phone off now.
River: Hey Logan, just made it to Hannibal. Getting some shuteye. Call you in the morning.
~~
Day one of being back was a success in my book. I slept a solid ten hours the first night. When I woke up, my mom was already cooking breakfast. I ate and then went back to settling into my room.
Now, I’m giving Logan a quick call. He’s out in the big, bad world, making a name for himself. The room I am now living in has zero personality. I think my mom wanted it that way.
Over breakfast, I asked her if she could take me to Hobby Lobby to pick up some decorations for my room. That is the next thing on my to-do list before I start my job. I also need a vehicle to get me from point A to point B.
I already have a job lined up. It’s one of the reasons I decided to come here instead of closer to my siblings. My mom needs me more than my siblings.
I’m hoping we can cross off a few things from my to-do list while we are out. I have been looking for a used car in this area for a while now. I saved all the money that I earned when I was in the Army, only needing to pay a cell phone bill. Everything else was paid for by the Army, so I was able to build up a nice little nest egg. I hear my phone ping.
Logan: Glad to see you made it. I’ll be in town sometime next week. Will I get to see you?
I know what he’s asking. I know that he will probably want to hang out with Auggie, and I really don’t.
River: We will see. Text me when you get to town.
Logan sends back a thumbs-up emoji.
After we get back from the store, I look for a hammer and brackets to hang decor. I bought some frames for pictures from my time in the Army.
I know I’m going to miss the Army, but my mom needs me more. I was lucky enough to find a position right away. I didn’t have any issues finding a job given my degree and experience. I know it will be a little different than what I was doing in the Army. I have a few weeks to settle in before my first day.
I don’t know anyone here other than my mom’s family and my aunts, and there is no way in hell I’m hanging out with my mom’s family. I had a girls’ night with my mom and the girls. It was fun to hear about all the things that they used to get up to. It’s nice to be around them again. I really missed them.
“So, River, your mom said that you start your new job on Monday? Where will you be working?” one of them asks.
I haven’t told anyone where I’m going to be working, but everyone keeps asking. I don’t want anyone to know, so I respond with a vague answer, “Somewhere here in Hannibal.” I give her a sly smile.
“You can’t tell us where you will be working?”
“No, because I don’t want you all to show up out of the blue.”
“Us? We would do no such thing.”
“No way am I telling you. You know you would eventually.”
So far, no one has brought him or Melissa up in conversation. I feel like they are intentionally not speaking about either one of them. In the past five years, any time either one of them came up in conversation, I immediately changed the subject. Now, that seems stupid. I know I will have to face both eventually. This town isn’t that big. I’m just not ready right now. I’m assuming he lives somewhere around here since Aunt Connie keeps saying that she’s so happy that her family is all back together again.
Everyone keeps asking me why I moved to Hannibal. The biggest reason is my mom. My sister moved to the West Coast, and I don’t see her moving back anytime soon. My brother is down in Florida doing God knows what. Every time I talk to him, he’s bartending. He loves it down there.
The second reason is that I need to face the things I ran from. I don’t regret running away, but I learned from the Army that I should never retreat. I’m a big girl, and I face things now. I have to ease myself back into this. I’m just afraid of what I might find, especially with Auggie. Has he moved on? Did he ever miss me? Is he glad I walked away? Is he with Melissa? I think that would end me. Regardless, I’m done running. I’m here. I’m staying. I will not run away anymore.
Chapter 17
River
It’s my first day of my new job and saying I’m nervous is an understatement. In the Army, it’s hard to get fired, and even when you start a new job, you already know the rules or processes. Everything is standardized, no matter where you are stationed. This will be my first job working in the civilian world.
I’ll have to build trust not only with my team, but also with my partner. We had orientation this morning, and we will be meeting our teams this afternoon to get settled and assigned. So far, everyone seems nice. We have just been going over all the paperwork.
